BAGUIO CITY, Philippines ? Freddie Roach admitted to being bothered by whispers he had heard that Manny Pacquiao is skidding faster than a jumbo jet that is about to meet its fiery end.
Roach told the Bulletin on Friday that he was concerned about the things people had told him in the buildup to Pacquiao?s clash with Tim Bradley on June 9 in Las Vegas.
?I heard a lot of things,? said Roach, noting that majority of the doomsayers were Filipinos.
On the plane to Manila from Los Angeles, Roach said he had also heard the same stuff in the US but got deeply disturbed when the same statements were repeated when he got to the country more than two weeks ago.
But two days after presiding over Pacquiao?s workout at the Shape Up Gym inside the Cooyeesan Hotel on Naguillian Road, those fears quickly vanished.
?The power and speed are still there,? said Roach as conditioning coach Alex Ariza was subjecting the Filipino fighter to plyometrics, an advanced form of stretching and exercise meant to enhance a fighter?s strengths.
Roach said he can easily notice if a fighter is showing signs of decline. ?The first to go are the legs,? stressed Roach.
?I haven?t seen that from Manny,? said the 52-year-old trainer, grinning that his worst fears were all ?unfounded.? Roach said he felt even more relieved when somebody had whispered to him a few days back about the burning desire of Pacquiao to put on a show of force come fight night at the MGM Grand.
One guy approached Roach and told him about what Pacquiao had said when all cameras were not rolling and there was no tape recorder in sight.
?The guy said to me that Manny said ?I want to prove my critics wrong that I am washed up.?? ?That?s the nicest thing that I have heard so far,? added Roach.
